BACKGROUND Excess abdominal adiposity cause metabolic disturbances, particularly in pregnancy. Methods of accurate measurement are limited in pregnancy due to risks associated with these procedures. This study outlines a non-invasive methodology for the measurement of adipose tissue in pregnancy and determines the intra- and inter-observer reliability of ultrasound (US) measurements of the two components of adipose tissue (subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT)) within a pregnant population. METHODS Thirty pregnant women were recruited at the end of their first trimester, from routine antenatal clinic at the University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Ireland. Measurements of adipose tissue thickness were obtained using a GE Voluson E8 employing a 1-5 MHz curvilinear array transducer. Two observers, employing methodological rigour in US technique, measured thickness of adipose tissue three times, and segmented the US image systematically in order to define measurements of SAT and VAT using specifically pre-defined anatomical landmarks. RESULTS Intra-observer and inter-observer precision was assessed using Coefficient of Variation (CV). Measurements of SAT and total adipose for both observers were < 5% CV and < 10% CV for VAT in measures by both observers. Inter-observer reliability was assessed by Limits of Agreement (LoA). LoA were determined to be - 0.45 to 0.46 cm for SAT and - 0.34 to 0.53 cm for VAT values. Systematic bias of SAT measurement was 0.01 cm and 0.10 cm for VAT. Inter-observer precision was also assessed by coefficient of variation (CV: SAT, 3.1%; VAT, 7.2%; Total adipose, 3.0%). CONCLUSION Intra-observer precision was found to be acceptable for measures of SAT, VAT and total adipose according to anthropometric criterion, with higher precision reported in SAT values than in VAT. Inter-observer reliability assessed by Limits-Of-Agreement (LoA) confirm anthropometrically reliable to 0.5 cm. Systematic bias was minimal for both measures, falling within 95% confidence intervals. These results suggest that US can produce reliable, repeatable and accurate measures of SAT and VAT during pregnancy.

中文翻译：

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超声检查在妊娠12周时测量腹部皮下和内脏脂肪组织厚度的内部和内部可靠性。

背景技术腹部肥胖过多会引起代谢紊乱，尤其是在怀孕期间。由于与这些程序相关的风险，因此在怀孕期间进行精确测量的方法受到限制。这项研究概述了一种用于测量妊娠脂肪组织的非侵入性方法，并确定了对脂肪组织（皮下（SAT）和内脏脂肪组织（VAT）的两个组成部分进行超声（US）测量的观察者内部和观察者之间的可靠性））。方法30名孕妇在怀孕三个月末从爱尔兰利默里克大学孕妇医院的常规产前诊所招募。脂肪组织厚度的测量是使用GE Voluson E8（采用1-5 MHz曲线阵列换能器）获得的。两位观察员 在US技术中采用严格的方法，测量脂肪组织的厚度三倍，并系统地分割US图像，以便使用预先定义的解剖学界标定义SAT和VAT的测量值。结果使用变异系数（CV）评估了观察者内部和观察者之间的精度。两名观察员的SAT和总脂肪的测量值均小于5％CV，而增值税的<10％CV。观察者间的可靠性通过协议限制（LoA）进行评估。SAT的LoA值确定为-0.45至0.46 cm，VAT值确定为-0.34至0.53 cm。SAT测量的系统偏差为0.01 cm，VAT为0.10 cm。观察者之间的准确性也通过变异系数进行评估（CV：SAT，3.1％； VAT，7.2％；总脂肪，3.0％）。结论根据人体测量学标准，观测者内部的精度对于SAT，VAT和总脂肪的测量是可以接受的，SAT值报告的精度高于VAT。通过协议限制（LoA）评估的观察者间可靠性确认了人体测量学上0.5 cm的可靠性。两种方法的系统偏倚均最小，置信区间在95％以内。这些结果表明，美国可以在怀孕期间产生可靠，可重复和准确的SAT和VAT量度。落在95％的置信区间内。这些结果表明，美国可以在怀孕期间产生可靠，可重复和准确的SAT和VAT量度。落在95％的置信区间内。这些结果表明，美国可以在怀孕期间产生可靠，可重复和准确的SAT和VAT量度。